Fabric jacket to prevent nonmetallic equipment from extreme heat, external damage and fire

ABSTRACT

A protective fabric jacket for placement on an object to be protected from excessive heat includes a first layer; a second layer; and an intermediate spacer fabric layer that is disposed between the first layer and the second layer. The first and second layers are attached to the intermediate spacer fabric layer to form a layered structure. The intermediate spacer fabric layer comprises a flexible honeycomb or octagonal shaped spacer fabric that has a plurality of cells defined therein. The protective fabric jacket also includes a settable material that disposed within the cells and includes a cementitious mixture and one or more organic polymers and is settable to a hardened material.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to products for protecting heatsensitive equipment or another object and more particularly, to a spacerfabric jacket that is configured to be wrapped or otherwise disposedabout the heat sensitive equipment or other object for protecting themfrom external damage originating from excessive heat as by a fire.

BACKGROUND

In different industries, many different pieces of equipment are used inmany different environments, many of which can be harsh. Exemplaryindustries include but are not limited to oil and gas, building, marine,military, nuclear, etc. The equipment can be formed of many differenttypes of material, including but not limited to composite materials(nonmetallic) and metals. One of the threats to the equipment is in theform of excessive heat and fire that can easily damage the equipment.

Extreme heat is thus a common threat in facility operations and can leadto loss of containment if the materials exposed to it have poor heatresistance. If non-metallic materials are exposed to either extremetemperatures or fire can ignite their polymer matrix. This scenariocould lead to a loss of containment which could make the fire emergencymore difficult to control, besides to create a toxic smog from thepolymer combustion.

Moreover, when non-metallic materials are exposed to extremetemperatures, above their glass transition temperature of their polymermatrix, their strength and stiffness get significantly reduced. This canlead to failure of the materials over time.

Certain techniques are used to protect the equipment from such externaldamage originating from excessive heat as by a fire. For example,protective jackets and wraps can be used to protect such equipment.While these products provide some protection, there is a need for animproved wrap or jacket for placement about the equipment for protectionthereof.

SUMMARY

In one implementation, a protective fabric jacket for placement on anobject to be protected from excessive heat includes a first layer; asecond layer; and an intermediate spacer fabric layer that is disposedbetween the first layer and the second layer. The first and secondlayers are attached to the intermediate spacer fabric layer to form alayered structure. The intermediate spacer fabric layer comprises aflexible honeycomb or octagonal shaped spacer fabric that has aplurality of cells defined therein. The protective fabric jacket alsoincludes a settable material that disposed within the cells and includesa cementitious mixture and one or more organic polymers and is settableto a hardened material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top and side perspective view of a fabric jacket including abottom layer and a spacer fabric layer;

FIG. 2 is a top and side perspective view showing a top cover and thespacer fabric layer;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a fabric jacket disposed about apipe;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a spacer fabric layer shaped in 3Doctagonal geometry;

FIG. 5 is a side and top perspective view of the spacer fabric layershown in partial cross-section;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a roll of the spacer fabric layer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure is directed to an improved fabric mat or jacket100 that is configured for application on a piece of equipment or otherheat sensitive object for providing heat shielding of the equipment orobject. FIG. 3 shows one fabric jacket 100 that is disposed about a pipe10 for protecting and shielding the pipe 10. It will be appreciated thatthe pipe 10 is only exemplary for one application and instead ofinstallation on the pipe 10, the fabric jacket 100 can be installed on apiece of equipment.

FIGS. 1-7 show various details and the construction of the fabric jacket100. In general, the fabric jacket 100 includes a bottom layer 110, aspacer fabric layer 200, and a top layer 120. In one exemplaryembodiment, as described in more detail herein, the fabric jacket 100forms a layered structure so as to form a sandwich type structure. Asalso described herein, the spacer fabric layer 200 is filled with asettable material that can be hardened to a rigid or semi-rigid solid toimpart desired properties to the fabric jacket 100.

Bottom Layer 110

The function of the bottom layer 110 is, at least in part, to ensurethat the settable material remains held within the cells (internalspaces) of the spacer fabric layer 200. The bottom layer 110 can takeany number of different forms so long as the bottom layer 110 has aconstruction that prevents the settable material from migrating out ofthe cells of the spacer fabric layer 200. The bottom layer 110 thuspartially restricts (blocks) and covers the bottom access openings intothe cells. The bottom layer 110 can be in the form of a woven structureof a non-woven structure that is disposed along a bottom layer (bottomface) of the spacer fabric layer 200. The bottom layer 110 can be formedfrom any number of different materials including but not limited tosynthetics (polymeric materials), etc. For example, the material for thebottom layer 110 can be natural or synthetic fibers, including but notlimited to high strength and high modulus fibers, such as carbon fibers(PAN or pitch based), aramid fibers (e.g., Kevlar, Nomex, etc.),polyolefin fibers, such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE), of glass fibers, ceramic fibers, etc. The selection can be inview of the intended application.

The bottom layer 110 can be attached to the spacer fabric layer 200using any number of traditional techniques, including the use of bondingagents and/or the use of stitching in that the bottom layer 110 can bestitched to the spacer fabric layer 200. Stitching the bottom layer 110to the spacer fabric layer 200 effectively joins the two structures.

As shown in the figures, the bottom layer 110 can have a net orscreen-like construction. In other words, the bottom layer 110 can havea mesh construction. The mesh size is selected so that the settablematerial in its final hardened state is maintained within the spacerfabric layer 200 and is not permitted to fall through the meshconstruction.

Top Layer 120

The function of the top layer 120 is, at least in part, to ensure thatthe settable material remains held within the cells of the spacer fabriclayer 200. The top layer 120 can take any number of different forms solong as the top layer 120 has a construction that prevents the settablematerial from migrating out of the cells of the spacer fabric layer 200.The top layer 120 thus at least partially restricts (blocks) and coversthe top access openings into the cells. The top layer 120 can be formedof the same material as the bottom layer 110 or the two can be formed ofdifferent materials. For example, the top layer 120 can be in the formof a woven structure of a non-woven structure that is disposed along atop layer (top face) of the spacer fabric layer 200. The top layer 120can be formed from any number of different materials including but notlimited to synthetics (polymeric materials), etc. For example, thematerial for the top layer 120 can be natural or synthetic fibers,including but not limited to high strength and high modulus fibers, suchas carbon fibers (PAN or pitch based), aramid fibers (e.g., Kevlar,Nomex, etc.), polyolefin fibers, such as ultra-high molecular weightpolyethylene (UHMWPE), of glass fibers, ceramic fibers, etc. Theselection can be in view of the intended application.

It will be appreciated that the top layer 120 can be formed of the samematerial and/or have the same construction as the bottom layer 110 or itcan be different.

The top layer 120 can be attached to the spacer fabric layer 200 usingany number of traditional techniques, including the use of bondingagents and/or the use of stitching in that the top layer 120 can bestitched to the spacer fabric layer 200. Stitching the top layer 120 tothe spacer fabric layer 200 effectively joins the two structures.

As shown in the figures, the top layer 120 can have a net or screen-likeconstruction. In other words, the top layer 120 can have a meshconstruction. The mesh size is selected so that the settable material inits final hardened state is maintained within the spacer fabric layer200 and is not permitted to fall through the mesh construction.

Intermediate Spacer Fabric 200

The fabric jacket 100 can thus be a three layer structure with thespacer fabric 200 being the middle layer between the bottom layer 110and the top layer 120. As described herein, the spacer fabric layer 200is the functional layer in that, as described herein, the spacer fabriclayer 200 contains functional material that is located within the spacerfabric for providing desired properties (material characteristics) tothe overall fabric jacket 100.

As is known, spacer fabrics are a kind of 3D manufactured textilestructures in which two outer fabric layers are connected by a layer ofpile threads. Because of the layer of these spacer yarns, a defineddistance can be established between the outer layers, which generallyvaries from 1.5 to 10 mm.

The intermediate spacer fabric 200 preferably takes the form of aflexible honeycomb shaped spacer fabric that is stitched in knit, mat,or plain woven fabric, including, but not limited to, stitching so as toform a 2D or 3D textile configuration. Any number of other stitchingtechniques (styles) can be used such as twill, sating, triaxle,uniaxial, etc. The flexible honeycomb spacer fabric 200 thus defines aplurality of cells 202 that represent the hollow interiors of thehoneycomb wall structure. The shape (e.g., octagonal) of each cell 202is determined by the shape of the wall structure that defines the cell202.

The fiber used to form the flexible honeycomb spacer fabric can be ahigh thermal resistance material, such as carbon fiber, or a fireresistant material, such as aramid fibers known in the industry asKevlar®. Other fibers that can be used to form the spacer fabric 200include but are not limited to glass fibers, ceramic fibers, etc., basedon the given application.

As shown in FIG. 1, the space (cells 202) within the honeycomb structure(the spacer fabric layer 200) is filled with the desired materials(e.g., settable material described below) during the preparation processthen the top layer (cover) 120 is attached (e.g., stitched) toaccommodate the filled materials as illustrated in FIG. 2. Since thedesired materials are added into the cells 202 during the preparationprocess, the bottom layer 110 needs to be previously joined to thespacer fabric 200 prior to addition of these materials within the cells202 so that the settable materials are held in the cells beforeattaching the top layer.

The arrangement of the honeycomb in-plan provides the requiredflexibility required to transport the final product (jacket 100) as wellas to cover and wrap any equipment geometry.

In other words, it has been discovered that the honeycomb shape permitsthe jacket 100 to readily flex and be wrapped or otherwise be disposedon different shaped surfaces while maintaining structural rigidity. Itwill be appreciated that the size of the honeycomb fabric 200 can varydepending upon on the application. The size of the honeycomb array inthe figures has been exaggerated for the sake of clarity. The productionof honeycomb flexible fabric can be produced in different dimensions(length/width) as it can be spooled easily as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3shows one exemplary embodiment in which the fabric jacket 100 is wrappedabout a cylindrical pipe 10.

It will be appreciated that the footprint of the bottom layer 110, thetop layer 120 and the spacer fabric 200 is at least substantially thesame for each layer so that the formed product is in the form of asandwich (layered structure).

Octagonal Shaped

As mentioned herein, the fabric jacket 100 that is preferably filledwith settable materials can have an octagonal shape in that it is in theform of an octagonal shaped fabric. FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the mator jacket structure shaped in a 3D octagonal geometry.

In this embodiment, the fabric jacket 100 can have a closed cellstructure as opposed to the open cell structure that has been describedand illustrated herein (e.g., FIG. 1). In FIG. 4, the closed cellstructure can be in the form of octagonal shaped cubes. These closedcell structures are filled with the settable materials that aredescribed herein much like how the spacer fabric 200 is filled.

As shown, the jacket 100 is formed of an array of octagonal shaped cellsand in one embodiment, the x dimension (length) and width (L&W) for eachoctagon structure are equivalent. A 3D octagon can be stitchedside-by-side with another 3D octagon together to form the sheet offabric mat which can be described as being an octagonal sheet fabric mat(OSHM). The length of the sheet, represented in FIG. 4 as L, is thelength of the sheet and can be variable depending on the length that isrequired to install underneath the pipe 10 (FIG. 3) or on top of thepipe 10. The width of the sheet, represented in FIG. 4 as W, can varydepending on the width of the geometry that is required for the givenapplication.

In both the open cell embodiment of FIG. 1 and the closed cellembodiment of FIG. 4, the fabric mat is closed off with the bottom layer110 and the top layer 120. In other words, the closed cell octagonalshaped fabric is covered on an upper surface with the top layer 120 andis covered on the lower surface with the bottom layer 110.

FIG. 6 shows the side view in which the height is represented by H. FIG.5 shows the 3D octagonal sheet fabric mat (OSHM) with the top and bottomlayers removed for sake of clarity. The formation of the 3D octagonalsheet fabric mat (OSHM) is flexible which allows it to be wrapped duringa handling process as can be seen in FIG. 7 (for simplicity, the top andbottom layers have been eliminated; however even with these layers, themat or jacket 100 can be rolled as shown in FIG. 7). The formation ofthe 3D octagonal sheet fabric mat (OSHM) can be easily doubled in sizeby stacking a formation of sheet on top of each other and stitchedtogether. Moreover, it can be tripled in size which depends on theintended application for the mat/jacket 100.

Settable Material

The flexible honeycomb spacer fabric 200 can be and is preferably filledwith one or more settable materials which can provide the desiredequipment a guard required to prevent them from external thermal effect,external damage (third-party) and external fire incidence. In otherwords, the settable materials impart desired properties to the spacerfabric 200 by being filled within the cells 202. The flexible honeycombspacer fabric 200 provides the flexibility required to wrap and coverthe desired equipment or object, such as a pipe, tank, etc. At the sametime, the flexible honeycomb spacer fabric 200 contains and holds thesettable materials filled therein within the cells 202.

The cells 202 of the spacer fabric 200 are filled with a settablematerial that can be hardened to a rigid or semi-rigid solid on theaddition of a setting agent, such as water or a waterborne solution, oron carbonation reactions with carbon dioxide (CO2), or on exposure toheat, UV radiation, IR radiation, etc. The settable material can be apowder material composed of fine, medium and coarse constructionaggregates, such as sand, crushed stone, gravel, slag, recycledconcrete, etc.) that are bound with a hydrolic cement that is capable ofsetting and hardening by hydration reactions when water is added into it(e.g., Portland cements). The settable materials can also comprisenon-hydrolic cement that can be hardened by carbonation reactions withcarbon dioxide.

As will be appreciated, the cementitious mixture is capable of in-situhydration (i.e., hydration in place, on location, on a constructionsite). In-situ hydration occurs as a liquid, such as water, is topicallyapplied and reacts with a volume of cementitious material within acementitious composite that is defined by the spacer fabric layer 200and the settable materials including in the cells. Hydration ofcementitious composite mats (e.g., mat or jacket 100) can be initiatedin-situ (e.g., in place, on a job site, etc.). The cementitiouscomposite mat may be transported to an install location as a flexiblecomposite material in a pre-packaged configuration (e.g., sheets, rolls,etc.) and hydrated on-location as by adding a setting agent, such aswater.

Organic Polymers

The settable material can also be a polymer modified cementitiousmixture composed of cement mixed with one or more organic polymers thatare dispersed or redispersible in water, with or without aggregates,capable of hardening and setting. The organic polymer can be ahomopolymer, a copolymer when two or more monomers are copolymerized, ora mixture of two or more polymers (homopolymers and/or copolymers).Several polymers can be used for such application, including but notlimited to, synthetic elastomeric latexes (e.g., polyvinyl acetate,polyacrylic esters, styrene-acrylics, vinyl acetate copolymers,polypropylene, polyvinylidene, chloride copolymers, etc.); thermosettinglatexes (e.g., asphalt, paraffin, coal-tar, etc.) can be used. Theorganic polymers used for such application are generally produced bypolymerization, mainly emulsion polymerization of the monomers inpresence of water, a surfactant, and an initiator that generates freeradicals and makes the monomers polymerize. Other components can be usedin the polymerization process, such as antifoaming agents (e.g.,silicone-based defoamers, or other non-silicone defoamers such as fattyesters or, alcohols, ethylene glycol/propylene glycol based defoamers,etc.), plasticizers (e.g., e.g., phthalates, dibenzoates,polycarboxylates, lignosulphonates, etc.), or other additives can beused to control molecular weight, etc.

Several monomers can be used to form the polymer products describedherein including but not limited to styrene, vinyl acetate, acrylateesters (such as n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate,methyl methacrylate, etc.), acrylonitrile, acrylamide, butadiene,vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride, ethylene, etc.). The purpose ofintroducing polymers into the settable materials, is to enhance theirperformance and properties compared to conventional concrete and mortarwhere for example microcracks can occur more easily under stress.

The organic polymers can be used as a dispersion in water (i.e., latex),a redispersible powder, or a water soluble or redispersible liquid. Insome instances, monomers can be added to the cement and can bepolymerized in-situ by adding the setting agent (e.g., water).Redispersible polymer powders are mainly used by dry mixing with thecement and aggregate premixes followed by wet mixing with water wherethe redispersible powders are re-emulsified. This results in hardeningof the material to a rigid or semi-rigid solid. In one embodiment, onepreferred optimal polymer content is achieved at polymer-to-cementratios (p/c) between about 5 and about 20 weight (wt.) % but dependingon the application and targeted properties, these ratios can go up toabout 40 wt. %.

In polymer-modified concrete and mortar, aggregates are bound in apolymer-cement co-matrix where polymer phase and hydrated cement phaseinterpenetrate resulting in higher performance and superior propertiescompared to conventional concrete and mortar where microcracks can occureasily under stress mainly due to the fact that calcium silicateshydrates and calcium hydroxide are bound with weaker Van der Waalsforces, which leads to poor tensile strength and fracture toughness. Incontrast, when organic polymers are added, the organic polymers fill andclose the gap and pores, seal the microcracks and therefore preventtheir propagation, which leads to higher strength (tensile and flexural)and fraction toughness of the polymer-modified concrete or mortar. Theuse of organic polymers leads also to the improvement of numerousproperties of the concrete and mortar, such as the hardness, barrierproperties and permeability, etc. In general, these improvements ten toincrease when the polymer content increases, as the porosity tends todecrease when the polymer-to-cement ratio increases.

Other Additives

Other additives can be used with the organic polymer to enhance certainproperties, such as thermal and UV resistance, flammability, impactresistance, etc., including but not limited to UV absorbers (e.g.,benzotriazole, HALS, etc.); antioxidants (e.g., phenolics, phosphites,etc.); impact modifiers (acrylics, styrenic copolymers, syntheticrubbers, etc.); flame retardants (FRs) (e.g., halogenated FRs,phosphorous FRs, nitrogen-containing FRs, such as melamine, melaminecyanurate, etc. and inorganic FRs, such as aluminum hydroxide magnesiumhydroxide, antimony trioxide, etc.). Intumescent flame retardants canalso be used by mixing an acid source, such as ammonium polyphosphate, ablowing agent, such as melamine and a carbon source, such as a polyol.

Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), polyhedral oligomericsilsesquioxanes (POSS), nanosilica, organoclay, etc., can also be usedas an additive.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fullyreveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applyingknowledge within the skill of the art (including the contents of thereferences cited herein), readily modify and/or adapt for variousapplications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation,without departing from the general concept of the present disclosure.Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be withinthe meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, basedon the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understoodthat the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation, such that the terminology orphraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by theskilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance presented herein,in combination with the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A protective fabric jacket for placement on anobject to be protected from excessive heat comprising: a first layer; asecond layer; an intermediate spacer fabric layer that is disposedbetween the first layer and the second layer, the first and secondlayers being attached to the intermediate spacer fabric layer to form alayered structure, the intermediate spacer fabric layer comprising aflexible honeycomb or octagonal shaped spacer fabric that has aplurality of cells defined therein; and a settable material that isdisposed within the cells and includes a cementitious mixture and one ormore organic polymers and is settable to a hardened material.
 2. Theprotective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the first layer comprises atop layer disposed along an upper surface of the intermediate spacerfabric layer, the first layer having a mesh construction that is sizedso that the hardened material is maintained within the cells.
 3. Theprotective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the second layer comprisesa bottom layer disposed along a lower surface of the intermediate spacerfabric layer, the second layer having a mesh construction that is sizedso that the hardened material is maintained within the cells.
 4. Theprotective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the spacer fabric layer isformed of at least one of carbon fibers and aramid fibers.
 5. Theprotective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the first layer and thesecond layer are attached to the spacer fabric layer by stitching. 6.The protective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the intermediate spacerfabric layer comprises a flexible octagonal shaped spacer fabric.
 7. Theprotective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the cementitious mixtureincludes construction aggregates that are bound with a hydrolic cementthat is capable of setting and hardening by hydration reactions whenwater is added to the cementitious mixture.
 8. The protective fabricjacket of claim 1, wherein the at least one organic polymer comprises ahomopolymer, a copolymer formed when two or more monomers arepolymerized, or a mixture thereof.
 9. The protective fabric jacket ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one organic polymer comprises syntheticelastomeric latexes.
 10. The protective fabric jacket of claim 1,wherein the settable material further includes at least one of anantifoaming agent and a plasticizer.
 11. The protective fabric jacket ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one organic polymer is configured to beadded to the cementitious mixture and polymerize in-situ.
 12. Theprotective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the settable materialfurther includes at least one additive selected from the groupconsisting of UV absorbers, antioxidants, impact modifiers and flameretardants.
 13. The protective fabric jacket of claim 12, wherein the atleast one additive comprises a flame retardant that is selected from thegroup consisting of halogenated flame retardants, phosphorous flameretardants, nitrogen-containing flame retardants, and inorganic flameretardants.
 14. The protective fabric jacket of claim 12, wherein the atleast one additive comprises an intumescent flame retardant thatcomprises a mixture of an acid, a blowing agent, and a carbon source.15. The protective fabric jacket of claim 1, wherein the settablematerial further includes nanoparticles.
 16. The protective fabricjacket of claim 15, wherein the nanoparticles are selected from thegroup consisting of: carbon nanotubes (CNT), polyhedral oligomericsilsesquioxanes (POSS), nanosilica and organoclay.
 17. In combinationwith a pipe, a protective flexible fabric jacket for placement on anouter surface of the pipe for protecting the pipe from excessive heat,the fabric jacket comprising: a first layer; a second layer; and anintermediate spacer fabric layer that is disposed between the firstlayer and the second layer, the first and second layers being attachedto the intermediate spacer fabric layer to form a layered structure, theintermediate spacer fabric layer comprising a flexible octagonal shapedspacer fabric that has a plurality of cells defined therein; and asettable material that disposed within the cells and is configured toset to a hardened material, the settable material including acementitious mixture and one or more organic polymers and fireresistance additives.